Zagreb Hippodrome ( hr, Zagrebački hipodrom) is a

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

venue in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. It was built from 1947 to 1950, with a design based on the

Longchamp Racecourse The Longchamp Racecourse (french: Hippodrome de Longchamp) is a 57 hectare horse-racing facility located on the Route des Tribunes at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, France. It is used for flat racing and is noted for its variety of interlaced tr ...

in Paris. It is located in the neighbourhood of

Kajzerica Kajzerica is a neighborhood located in the Novi Zagreb – zapad city district of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It is located west of Bundek Lake (Jezero Bundek) and east of the Western Rotary and Adriatic Bridge. It has a population of 4,38 ...

, on the southern bank of the

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally th ...

river, near the

Bundek Bundek is a park in the Novi Zagreb - istok city district of Zagreb, Croatia. It is located north of the Zapruđe and Središće neighborhoods. Bundek was renovated during 2005 to turn a badly maintained lake into a tourism and events center of No ...

lake. The venue covers an area of . It was originally built with three racetracks, having lengths of , , and , but the longest track was removed to make space for an indoor

riding hall A riding hall, indoor arena, indoor school (UK English), or indoor ring (US English) is a building (part of an equestrian facility) that is specially designed for indoor horse riding. Smaller, private buildings contain only space for riding, whi ...

after the

1987 Summer Universiade The 1987 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIV Summer Universiade, took place in Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. It involved participants from 111 countries and over 6,000 individual sportspersons and members of teams. Infrastructural cha ...

. A space for

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

races is located in the inside area of the smallest track. Zagreb Hippodrome has been managed by the Zagreb Equestrian Club () since 1952. The most important event at the Hippodrome is the yearly International June Tournament (), which has been held since 1955. The venue has been criticised for bad management and track maintenance, and small horse stalls which do not satisfy today's health and safety requirements. The stables hold around 160 horses. The street where the venue is located was renamed in honour of

Radoslav Cimerman Radoslav () is a common Slavic masculine given name, derived from ''rad-'' ("happy, eager, to care") and ''slava'' ("glory, fame"), both very common in Slavic dithematic names. It roughly means "eager glory". It is known since the Middle Ages. T ...

, a Croatian horse riding champion who fell from his horse and died in 1974 while training at the Zagreb Hippodrome. In 1994,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

celebrated a mass at the Hippodrome, which was attended by a million people. Pope

Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

also celebrated a mass at the Hippodrome in 2011. The Hippodrome also saw use as a concert venue, hosting

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...

and

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

References

External links

International June Tournament official website

Zagreb Equestrian Association
{{Coord, 45.785263, 15.971682, format=dms, region:HR-21_type:landmark, display=inline,title Horse racing venues 1950 establishments in Croatia Sports venues in Zagreb Sports venues completed in 1950 Novi Zagreb Equestrian sports in Croatia